


The Master Sword, Slanted

by thesilentwilds (iaintoriginal)



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Link (Legend of Zelda) Needs a Hug, Master Sword (Legend of Zelda), Time Skips, fi is definitely out of character, i still dont understand tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-29 01:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30148797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iaintoriginal/pseuds/thesilentwilds
Summary: The Master Sword, when Link went to take it from the pedestal at sixteen, was slanted. It was not fully in the pedestal. Anyone — and by that I mean anyone and everyone — could have taken the sword.Written with the LU Discord weekly prompt in mind. Let’s go!
Relationships: Fi & Link (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 17





	The Master Sword, Slanted

**Author's Note:**

> (I still can’t believe the fact that I spent most of my classtime trying to think of what korok seeds smelled like-) and also, maybe I made Fi to be a little too emotional… and this may turn out to be very timeskippy. Not beta read.

Link stared at the sword, slanted in its pedestal, a reminder of his wrongdoings. The Deku Tree wasted no time before speaking, “You have returned.” There was a question hidden between his words.  _ Are you really the Hero? Are you ready to take her and face your destiny?  _

Guilty tears pricked the corner of his near expressionless eyes, “Yes. I am he.” He remembered why he left the sword back in the forest. He remembered shirking from his duty, clear in his head like it was yesterday. Settling a hand on the sword, he swiftly pulled it out like a knife in creamy butter. Anyone could have taken her away. 

“I’m sorry…” but the sword still ignored him. He should have expected it, the cold shoulder. She was angry. Angry at him for something he himself was explicitly aware of. 

* * *

The forest hushed as a young boy, not fully into his teens yet, stepped through the trees. The children of the forest themselves stopped their chittering, hiding between branches away from the little boy. Leaves no longer bounced around with the pressure of jumping Koroks on them. 

And as the boy let out a gasp, a single leaf fell behind him. 

He ran around in a circle around a nearby tree, making indents in the soil. He didn’t seem to care about the mud that splashed onto his tunic. 

It was wonderful. Freeing. 

The swirly mist that decorated the air seemed like patterns belonging to tales long lost to time. The leaves had a radiant shine to them that he had never seen before — even in those trees outside his home he clambered up like a lizard only for Father to carry him down. 

It also wasn’t long before a soft laugh escaped through his lips. He ran deeper into the forest. 

Something caught his eye. Small, fast and the colour of the leaves above but lighter. That shade of green out of place within the forest yet belonged in a way. He turned back, only to find… nothing. Perhaps… was it a game of hide-and-seek? At that thought, excitement bubbled deep within his chest. That he could do. 

“Where are you?” He comically dragged out the last syllable. He looked behind trees, under leaves, inside a log, but the weird thing was nowhere to be found. 

A rock? He started at the mundane slab of grey that seemed to shine in this sanctum. Could that be the answer to his problem? 

Almost as it could read his thoughts, the rock shook. In no time, the rock was lifted above his head, eyes staring at the little creature that had been hiding under it. He quickly deemed the small little creature harmless. But what was it? 

Staring. More staring. He cocked his head right, the creature mirrored his action. He tried again with the left, the creature mirrored his actions yet again. A sudden bout of inspiration hit him. What if...?

He moved his head in all possible angles he could think of — it should have satisfied him but it wasn’t enough. Arm movements, leg movements, the whole body combined, even. A little jig was danced with a small Hylian and an even smaller Korok. 

A grin full of mischief found on his face, he touched his little companion who, not surprisingly, touched him back. It stretched out its tiny branch-like arms, presenting him with a miniscule pile of gold. He gleefully took them and waved it goodbye when it skittled away. Looking back down at his hands, he examined what he was gifted and fiddled with the light yellow stone. 

Sight — the stone had a unique swirl on the top of it. 

Hearing — it made no sound when shaken. 

Touch — hard and smooth, almost as if there was air hidden inside the hard hull. 

Smell — it was different, magical, like the forest itself. 

Taste — he was better off not knowing. After all, it didn’t smell edible. Different, but not pleasant. 

The little boy was oblivious to the world around him. He didn’t realise more of those little creatures that surrounded him, peering at him through branches and roots. It was only him and the gift he aptly named ‘seed’. In his little bubble, he didn’t hear the chatter of the childrens’ resume, he didn’t see the flowers gain a more vibrant glow, but he did feel the calm gale that caressed his cheeks. 

And music. He heard music in the wind that blew past his ears. 

It was coming from a certain direction. Was the music leading him somewhere? Into some secret part of the woods itself? He loved secrets. The child’s curiosity was not satisfied and so he went, deeper into the forest. 

No one knew how long has passed since he stepped foot into the Lost Woods. 

He saw the pedestal before the massive tree in front of it. The smooth slab of grey on the floor felt very out of place against the moss and soil surrounding it. So new, pristine, but housed something truly ancient. He didn’t step onto the pedestal for fear of dirtying that unreal stone with mud. 

But something was calling him to it. To the clear silhouette of a sword imbedded into the pedestal. It was much more ornate than any other sword he’d seen Father and the other knights use. Something pulled him to it. The ethereal light around did nothing to quell that attraction. 

The giant tree speaking to him was the last thing he expected — but who was he to judge this place full of wonders. “I must have dozed off again. My apologies… What brings you here?” 

He snapped his head up to look at the tree and considered the question for a while before replying “my legs” with a grin on his face. There was a moment of silence where he thought that the talking tree didn’t appreciate his awkward joke. “I suppose so. What you’re staring at is the Master Sword.” 

_ The Master Sword _ … A puzzle snapped into place. The other kids always played this little game of Hero and Princess, based upon a myth as old as time. Little boys running around with sticks, mimicking the hero and the sword that seals the darkness, saving little girls hiding in bushes. But here, here was proof that it wasn’t all fictional, it was real. “Like the one from the legends? Is this what the hero the stories used?” 

“Yes, little one.” But he didn’t hear the reply for he stepped onto the pedestal and stopped right in front of the Master Sword. It wasn’t determination you see on his face, it was confusion. Confusion as to why his legs betrayed him, why he walked right up to the Master Sword. 

What was this… this urge to feel the ancient relic set in stone? It was untouchable. The item only of tales once designed to teach the population, now a bedtime story. A pulse from the sword. His head was cocked to the side in confusion and curiosity. And he set his hand on it. 

At first, he thought nothing was happening. The sword was lodged tight into the stone. A split second later, white noise bombarded his mind. It was way beyond his comprehension but understanding somehow slipped through the cracks left open in confusion. 

_ Do you promise to keep her safe?  _

Who was she? He thought as hard as a pre-teen could. It stirred something deep within him, something he recognised as protectiveness of something  —  someone…  _ her? _ That could be it. So, yes, he promised to keep her safe. Like how Father kept the Royal family safe as one of their knights, he could protect that mystery  _ her _ . 

He could feel some kind of energy going into the sword, going into it , giving it life. It felt right somehow. It felt as right as calling the sword a her. Her name slipped his mind, this remembering things he shouldn’t remember was getting out of hand. He pulled harder, the edge of the universe blurring as he did so. Metal against stone pierced his young ears. 

Just as he thought it was all going to be over, her tip was somehow caught in the tablet. 

_ Would you sacrifice yourself to keep balance?  _

He didn’t understand it. Sacrificing himself? He didn’t realise the weight of that term, the burden it carried. Another second passed, another moment of his energy being sucked away. And he willed himself, told himself that he needed to keep on going. He just wanted to ‘free’ her from the stone. No matter what overcame him, he promised he would do just about anything to  _ keep balance _ . The sincerity in every word, every thought was overwhelming. Yes, yes he would sacrifice himself. 

That did it. She came out with one last resounding scrape. 

The light that bounced off her entranced everything in the vicinity. Flowers turned, trees bent as much as their woody trunks allowed and the wind slowed to look at them  —  the sword and the Hero. 

“The hero…” his small voice shook, “I envisioned him to be a big strong guy, someone with looks who would charm Hylia herself…” Tears fell freely. “But I am he, I am the hero. The Hero. I can’t do this. This is all wrong!” With that, he gently held the sword before putting her back to where she came from. He heard her cries as he returned her, her scoldings  —  _ You should do your duty  _ _ —  _ but he persisted. His face was sticky from all that crying, all that remorse. 

The environment seemed to have changed with his mood. Gone was the bright mystery-filled forest. It was now silent and the tense atmosphere seemed like they contained the deepest, darkest secrets of the kingdom. 

“I’m sorry… I’m not the one who can save Hyrule. A new master would benefit you.” Then he turned his back to the sword, to the Deku Tree, to the forest. He turned his back on his destiny which would haunt him in years to come. After all, he was just a twelve-year-old boy with no direction in life. 

* * *

She waited. 

And waited. 

But he never came. 

Not after Zelda put her back in the woods. 

When she did so, it terrified her to no end. It was so similar to when Link refused her a hundred and five years ago. If she could cry, she would have made a river from her sorrow. Her original master would never turn down his duty. 

She continued to rest there, still feeling exiled. 

When she blatantly ignored him, she never imagined that she would be one of the reasons why he couldn’t defeat the Calamity the first time round. She betrayed her very existence for not doing her best to help him. It was her fault that he fell, her fault that she didn’t prepare him enough. 

She feared — as much as one of her kind could — the day he came. Would he hate her for doing what she did? It was unjustified, he would have lost all of his memories from the Shrine of Resurrection. 

But when he came, he wasn’t angry or offended, he was... fearful. What did he have to fear, the unforgiving forest? The stal-monsters that roamed the area? She didn’t delve deeper into that the fear in his eyes meant.

She let out a little chime, signalling to the lost boy that she was there. And his answer, exactly like it had been a century ago, filled her with remorse. A reminder of her failures. 

\- 

“I am he.” 

A moment passed. He expected irritation and resentment but all he felt when he walked near her was remorse. His empathy made him want to run up, hug the sharp weapon and soothe her. 

A chime from her, “better late than never.”

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus stuff that won't make any sense:  
> When a band of armed Hylian misfits approached him one day, he knew what to say, “I am he.”


End file.
